1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide type portable terminal, and more particularly to a slide type portable terminal that has a double sliding assembly structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable electronic device refers to a device, such as a portable terminal, an MP3 player, a PMP, or the like, with which a user enjoys various content while carrying it. Portable terminals are generally classified according to their appearance into bar-type terminals, flip-type terminals, and folder-type terminals.
The slide type portable terminal includes two housings wherein one housing slides on the other housing in a longitudinal direction to be opened/closed. This type of terminal has found increasing popularity as the design of the portable terminal becomes diversified.
Korean Patent Application No. 2002-71911 filed on Nov. 19, 2002 and filed on Mar. 6, 2003 in the United States Patent Office and afforded Ser. No. 10/379,551, discloses a sliding module incorporated into a portable terminal, which has a pair of housings coupled to each other in such a manner that one of the housings slides relative to the other housing. The disclosed portable terminal is a terminal in which one housing slides to open/close one part of the other housing, in particular, a keypad. One housing of the terminal is assembled with a spring module and the other housing is assembled with a sliding guide shaped like a rail so that the spring module and sliding guide assembles the pair of housings with each other capable of sliding.
Further, recently, the portable terminal includes a clean back cover on a back surface of the sliding housing in order to improve design attraction through covering the back surface of the sliding housing when the sliding housing slides relative to a body housing to protrude.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a clean back cover exposed to an outside according to the sliding of a sliding housing in a conventional slide type portable terminal. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a clean back cover mounted on a sliding plate in a conventional slide type portable terminal. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a sliding plate mounted with a clean back cover facing a guide plate of a body housing. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a sliding plate mounted with a clean back cover slidable relative to a guide plate of a body housing in a conventional slide type portable terminal.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a slide type portable terminal 10 includes a body housing 11, a sliding housing 12 facing the body housing 11, and a clean back cover 13. Referring to FIG. 3, the body housing 11 includes a guide plate 14 and the sliding housing 12 includes a sliding plate 15 that slides in the guide plate 14 according to the sliding of the sliding housing 12, An elastic member (not shown) for providing elasticity during the sliding of the sliding housing 12 is formed between the sliding plate 15 and the guide plate 14. A guide groove 14a is formed on both lateral surfaces of the guide plate 14 so as to set both lateral surfaces of the sliding plate 15 to guide the sliding plate 15 according to the sliding of the sliding housing 12. Further, a guide rail 15a is formed on both lateral surfaces of the sliding plate 15, which is set in the guide groove 14a to slide.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the clean back cover 13 contacts an internal side of the body housing 11 to cover an upper part of the sliding plate 15 that protrudes from the body housing 11 to be exposed during the sliding of the sliding housing 12. Therefore, the clean back cover 13 is inserted in and extracted from the body housing 11 during the sliding of the sliding housing 12 and improves the design attraction of the slide type portable terminal 10 when being exposed to the outside. Both lateral ends of the clean back cover 13 extend in a longitudinal direction of the sliding housing 12 to be fastened to an assembly plate 15a protruding from both sides of the sliding plate 15 through a fastening member 16, such as a screw.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, due to the position of the assembly plate 15b that assembles the clean back cover unit 13 with the sliding plate 15, the guide rail 15a is positioned in a lower side of the assembly plate 15b. Further, the guide groove 14a is positioned in a lower part of the guide plate 14 so as to be positioned in a lower part of the assembly plate 15b when the guide plate 14 faces the sliding plate 15.
When the sliding housing 12 slides to protrude from the body housing 11, the sliding plate 14 distantly slides from the guide plate 14, whereby causing a problem in that a part of the upper part of the guide groove 14a is not engaged with the sliding plate 15.
Due to such a non-engagement, there is a problem in that the strength of a center of the slide type portable terminal 10 corresponding to an upper part of the guide plate 14 is lessened after the sliding of the sliding housing 12. In addition, there is a strong possibility of breakage of the non-engaged part when a force is applied to the non engaged part or the slide type portable terminal 10 is dropped.
Therefore, the slide type portable terminal capable of improving the assembly strength of the non-engaged part between the guide plate and the sliding plate is necessary.
Further, the slide type portable terminal is essentially necessary in which one rail structure of the guide plate and sliding plate is changed into a double rail structure to improve the assembly strength during the sliding and to assemble the guide plate with the sliding plate after the sliding.